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Smart SwitchApplication · Samsung

CVE-2026-20998

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.7.69.15 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Improper authentication in Smart Switch prior to version 3.7.69.15 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Smart Switch versions prior to 3.7.69.15 contain an improper authentication vulnerability that allows remote attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms. The CVSS 9.8 score indicates this is exploitable over the network with low attack complexity and no required privileges, enabling complete authentication bypass.

MitigationUpgrade Smart Switch to version 3.7.69.15 or later to remediate the authentication bypass vulnerability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Smart SwitchApplication
Affected:< 3.7.69.15

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Smart Switch desktop version on Windows
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, find 'Smart Switch' in the list and note the version column, or right-click the Smart Switch desktop shortcut, select 'Open file location', right-click 'SmartSwitch.exe', select 'Properties', and check the 'Details' tab for Product Version
    Affected if The listed version is lower than 3.7.69.15 or the Product Version field is empty/unavailable
  2. Check Smart Switch desktop version via executable
    Navigate to the Smart Switch installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Samsung\Smart Switch or C:\Program Files (x86)\Samsung\Smart Switch), locate SmartSwitch.exe, right-click and view Properties > Details to see the Product Version
    Affected if The Product Version shown is lower than 3.7.69.15
  3. Check Smart Switch mobile app version on Android
    Open the Google Play Store app, search for 'Smart Switch', tap on the app, and view the version number under the app name, or go to device Settings > Apps > Smart Switch and check the version info
    Affected if The version displayed is lower than 3.7.69.15 (for example, 3.7.69.14, 3.7.68.x, etc.)
  4. Check Smart Switch mobile app version on iOS
    Open the App Store, search for 'Smart Switch', tap on the app, and scroll to the Version Information section to see the current version
    Affected if The version shown is lower than 3.7.69.15

You are affected if the installed Smart Switch version (desktop or mobile) is any version number less than 3.7.69.15.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.7.69.15 or later
Fixed in 3.7.69.15
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Smart Switch to version 3.7.69.15 or later to remediate the authentication bypass vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Smart Switch version 3.7.69.15

  1. Open the Samsung Smart Switch application on your device
  2. Check the current version in the application settings (typically under Menu > Settings > About Smart Switch)
  3. Download the latest version of Smart Switch from the official Samsung Galaxy Store or Samsung website
  4. Install the updated version, ensuring it is version 3.7.69.15 or later
  5. Restart the application after installation to ensure the update is fully applied
  6. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds 3.7.69.15

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Smart Switch Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-20998 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data